How to Improve Concentration in Studies with Meditation
A few quick tips for young buds to improve their grades. Did you know that meditation is the magic potion for boosting concentration and memory?
Are you one of those who gets straight A's in every subject excepting the much-dreaded Mathematics? Do numbers spell nightmare to you? And you have tried every coaching class under the sun, expert tutors, practiced pages, made furtive prayers but nothing could prevent that odd queasy feeling from appearing in your stomach, a day before the exam? You have also made a secret resolution to drop the subject at the first opportune moment?
Well, we suggest, drop the fear instead. The big question is ‘HOW?’. Easier said than done.
Well, there’s a sure shot solution to this problem: Meditate!
A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania showed that even a few minutes of daily meditation can help improve focus and performance.
Here are a few tips to improve your focus and concentration, irrespective of the task at hand.
8 TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE CONCENTRATION
- Love your subject and it will get you good grades.
- Sleep well. You won’t fall asleep in the grammar class.
- Eat healthy to avoid a restless mind.
- Practice yoga everyday to keep boredom away.
- Want to have more time for fun? Do Pranayama.
- Make Sudarshan Kriya your daily homework and other homework will become more fun.
- Meditate everyday.
- Do the Intuition process.
There are many tips on how meditation can be your savior during those most critical times when you need to be extremely attentive, here we are listing down 6 of them.
1. Love your subject and it will get you good grades.
This is a secret. When you love anything, it loves you back. So if you dislike any subject, for a day, drop the hatred! Simply tell your mind, “Today I shall read this with a lot of love.” Try it and observe the difference. Do you make an effort to concentrate on a cricket or soccer match or an interesting movie? It just happens, doesn’t it? The same holds true for your studies. Like them and you will be able to concentrate better. The result: better grades.
2. Sleep well. You won’t fall asleep in the grammar class.
Those late night chats and hangouts might be “cool” with your buddies but definitely isn’t for your memory. Brain needs sleep and seven to eight hours is a must. Meditate when you have too much on your plate. A good 20 minutes of meditation every day, preferably in the morning or before lunchtime, sharpens the brain cells and if you are regular it will also increase your grey matter.
3. Eat healthy to avoid a restless mind.
You are what you take. Sweets, chocolates, ice-creams and other junk food might be tempting but makes your mind restless and body lethargic. And naturally, your mind is everywhere except your books. Simple connection, right? So choose carefully what you eat. Avoid food with too much spice or sugar and reduce the intake of fried and junk food. Include more fresh fruits and vegetables, juices and salads in your diet.
Note: Ayurvedic medication can also boost concentration. Devavati and Brahmi are a big help. Please consult a Sri Sri Ayurveda doctor for more guidance on Ayurvedic diet and supplements
4. Practice yoga every day to keep boredom away.
Do Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar) and Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana), it helps increase blood circulation to the brain. As a result, there is increased alertness and awareness. Your mind does not digress from the task you are doing and you are also able to perform better.
5. Want to have more time for fun? Do pranayama.
Can you believe that a two-and-a-half-minute pranayama can help retain and improve concentration for three hours? Yes, the concentration pranayama, taught at the Art of Living youth courses, does just that. It helps improve memory and retention power and reduces the time taken to finish your studies, so that you have more time to play and have fun with friends. Cool, isn’t it? Join the Yes!+ Course to learn this fun technique.
6. Make Sudarshan Kriya your daily homework and other homework will become more fun.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar gave the world a powerful breathing technique - the Sudarshan Kriya. It cleanses the body and mind and aligns the body with the rhythms of the Universe. It is a one-stop solution for good mental and physical health. Learn it and practice daily and your mind will be free of all fears, it will be confident to tackle any subject, clear to take any decision and bold enough to venture into anything new.
7. Meditate Everyday
You can meditate in school, in your college campus, home, or even with friends at a park! In fact, meditating with friends helps in the camaraderie. You can beat the exam blues with a few minutes of meditation, and it will also help you to collect your thoughts better and gives clarity to your mind.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar speaks on mind and negativity in this video:
8. Do the Intuition Process
Intuition is your sixth sense, your gut feeling and you were born with it. Children inherently have a sharper intuition than adults. The education system today teaches you to rely on your intellect more and and hence, in the long run, you forget to listen to your inner voice. You might go wrong with decisions made from your intellect but your intuition will never fail you. It has been observed that people who use their intellect to follow their intuition, excel more in life.
This amazing process does just that, it helps you to get in touch with your inner voice. This suddenly makes difficult subjects a child’s play. Maths and numbers become exciting, Chemistry and carbon atoms appear more friendly, Political Science more interesting and dates in history easily accessible from your memory. Fear of examination vanishes and you can even pre-empt portions that should be studied better.
And the best part is, you learn all this, in just two days! Surprised?
What do some teen meditators have to say
Meditation just happens. Don’t concentrate while meditating.
Time to break a common myth which says, ‘meditation is concentration.’ On the contrary, meditation is de-concentration, and good attention and focus are by-products of regular meditation practice.
When you meditate every day, even for a few minutes, your wandering mind (which loves to go off on a trip especially during those boring periods in class) starts settling down and focusing more on the task at hand.
Bhanumathi Narasimhan, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation teacher often says, “Meditation makes a wandering mind into a wondering mind!”
Inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's wisdom talks
Feeling lack of motivation or restlessness? Are emotions taking a toll on your personal and work life? Fill in the form below to learn more about how meditation can aide you in overcoming daily issues and improve your life.
